| Web | AF |
|
|
With his long and illustrious lacrosse career which has spanned four decades, Air Force lacrosse head coach Fred Acee ended his head coaching career in 2008 to take on duties as the administrative assistant for the program. His head coaching knowledge will be missed as he has a resume that rivals that of any coach in collegiate lacrosse. Acee took the helm of the Falcon lacrosse program in the fall of 1997 with a great understanding of the history of the program. His goals then and now are the same - to turn the Falcon lacrosse team into an NCAA playoff contender. Since Acee's arrival, the Falcons have yearly played a top-notch Division I schedule. In 2006, Air Force compiled a 7-8 overall record, including an upset of ninth-ranked conference foe Notre Dame. In 2004, he helped lead the team to one of its best wins in school history, opening the season with the team's first-ever win over defending national champion Virginia. It was the first win in school history over a top-ranked opponent. If vast experience is any indication of the tools needed to build future success, Acee's exceptional knowledge of lacrosse and extensive coaching background ensure that the Falcons will have solid guidance in the years ahead. For 30 years, Acee made a name for himself as head coach at Farmingdale, a two-year college on Long Island. While there, he built the Rams into a national lacrosse powerhouse, capturing National Junior College Athletic Association championships in 1977, 1981 and 1987. In his three decades at the helm, the Rams advanced to the NJCAA Final Four an amazing 25 times. His overall record of 312-119-1 (.723 winning percentage) at Farmingdale is testament to his coaching skills. Although SUNY Farmingdale may have been a small school, Acee's abilities were not hidden from the rest of the lacrosse world. He is highly respected by his peers, as evidenced by the numerous honors he has received. He was inducted into the Long Island Metropolitan Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1994, Acee was the defensive coach for the world champion United States lacrosse team, assisting then-Johns Hopkins head coach, Tony Seaman. Most recently, Acee was chosen as a 2005 inductee into the Junior College Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Acee also served on the executive board for the 1998 USA World Team and is the organizer of the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association convention. He has also served on the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Rules Advisory Committee and is a past president of the NJCAA Lacrosse Coaches' Association. In the summer of 2001, Acee was honored for his lifelong contributions to the game of lacrosse. He received the Howdy Meyers Man of the Year award at the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's annual banquet in Albany, N.Y. In 2007, Acee was honored with a pair of national awards, receiving the Frenchy Julien Service Award from the USILA, while earning the Creators Award from the IMLCA. Lacrosse hasn't been his only game in the last 30-plus years. At SUNY Farmingdale, he also coached the soccer team from 1967-77 and coached soccer, track, basketball and baseball at Leonardsville High School. He lettered in both football (quarterback) and lacrosse (midfield) at his alma mater, SUNY Cortland. A New York native, Acee played football, basketball and baseball at Clinton Central in Clinton, N.Y. He graduated from Cortland State with a bachelor of science degree in physical education in 1963, and received his master's in physical education from Ithaca College in 1967. Acee is married to Linda and has one son, Michael, who played lacrosse at North Carolina, and daughters, Paulette Pearson and Dr. Andreana Hodgini. Acee also has four grandchildren - Sara and Mike Hodgini and Paige and Kayla Pearson.
|
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||||
